On March 8, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1 , which is perhaps the most comprehensive political reform proposal in a generation by our elected representatives. The “For the People Act” seeks to restore faith in our republican democracy as a genuinely representative system open to broad participation and protected from corruption and the outsized influence of special interest money. The provisions of the bill would make it easier for people to vote and strengthen campaign finance & ethics laws. H.R. 1 became the first bill filed by the new Congress in large part due to a...

Emerging research conducted by the TCC Group , a national program and evaluation firm, shows that nonprofits that strategically leverage volunteers outperform their peers on all measures of organizational effectiveness and have greater impact. But less than 15 percent of nonprofits nationwide demonstrate these characteristics. Are your grantees among the 15%? This special briefing presented new data reveals on a key factor driving impact and nonprofit success.

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On July 11, 2016 members of the Bay Area Health Funders Group gathered to discuss and gain a deep understanding about what it takes to implement a racial equity lens within their institution. The following are presentations and hand-outs from the program, as well as additional resources: Racial Equity Tools A great list of various resources to support people and organizations dedicated to advancing racial justice, including many resources for opening conversations about white privilege and white supremacist organizational culture. Catalyst Project A great organization the focuses on anti-...

ComNetworkSF, a local group of The Communications Network, and Northern California Grantmakers together with Atlantic Media Strategies (the digital consultancy of The Atlantic) convened to take a look at the modern media mindset today in a July 12 program. We are in a time of unprecedented uncertainty—as an industry and as a nation. During times of ambiguity, audiences crave understanding. Foundations and nonprofits of all kinds are grappling with how can they emerge as trusted sources in the face of today’s chaotic media and political landscape. We explored how foundations and other...

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In a September 12 event, NCG convened local and national experts to discuss the rise of hate crimes, bullying, and other forms of bigotry in recent months. We learned what funders can do to help overcome these challenges, through education, policy, organizing, and communications.

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Background On August 29, 2017, a group of Bay Area funders came together to brainstorm a possible vision, scope, and set of content directions for a funder learning network on childhood adversity. A 1 range of funders were represented - including family foundations, corporate foundations, community foundations, and individual donors. Some have been funding in the childhood adversity space for decades, while others are at the early stages of their journey. What emerged was a rich discussion exploring the possible ways in which a funder learning network might strengthen our work, and accelerate...

What does college and career readiness really mean for high schools in low-income urban communities? A college education remains one of the major gateways to sustainable, high-paid jobs - especially for young people who will be the first generation in their families to get a postsecondary degree, as well as for newly-arrived immigrant students. As high schools seek approaches to ensure that graduates are truly prepared to succeed in (and graduate from) college, many have turned to Career Pathways to integrate meaningful learning experiences with hands-on job training and rigorous early...

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Not every young person is lucky enough to enjoy the support of a functional family or social network, and many depend on the state in some capacity to help develop the skills necessary for achieving professional success and personal stability. In recent years, the Zellerbach Family Foundation , Stuart Foundation and W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation , among others, have supported organizations that use "youth voice" as a strategy to build the capacity of youth to advocate effectively for changes in the systems that directly affect their lives. This briefing provided an overview of "...

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This Just Philanthropy blog post focuses on "the confluence of philanthropy, justice and evaluation," puts forward three criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of this particular movement at this particular point in time.

Creating Shared Value (CSV) requires comprehensive and sustained efforts across a corporation. Drawing heavily on real-life examples, this FSG report identifies ten key building blocks that together form a blueprint for translating CSV into action, and explores how companies can get started on that process.